(Part 2) Best laptop network adapters according to redditors

It's probably just a CF card with a passive adapter to the standard ATA pinout. Like this.

Nice! I wonder if this would work with a direct thunderbolt 3 to SFP+ adapter like this one...

Yeah, CF cards are essentially an ancient version of modern SSDs. You can plug them directly into the IDE port of a computer with a simple dumb adapter.

• WiFi: Use a PCMCIA WiFi Card. The 2000-era ThinkPads probably use internal MiniPCI (extra large, old style), but I wouldn't bother with it. ThinkPads are infamous for their whitelists.
  
• Hard Drive: IDE isn't very high performance anyway, so cheap flash memory should be fine. Just use a CompactFlash card with a $5-15 IDE-to-CF adapter. Any adapter will do, as long as it is 2.5". I recommend this double adapter , since you can plug two cards in at once! (1 master, 1 slave drive)
  
  • If you want to use SDCards (which are significantly cheaper and higher capacity than CF cards), make sure you use this specific CF-card to SDCard adapter as well. It is designed to send the correct IDE signals (important for the iPod).
    
  • All this might seem counterintuitive, but don't risk your money with strange, cheap CF-to-SDCard adapters. Stick to what works.

I found the NUC itself at Frys Electronics on clearance for ~$150.

I got my SSD from Amazon: here

Got this RAM, because it has the best overall rating: Newegg

I just ordered today a WiFi+Bluetooth card, I have no idea if it is going to work though.. I mainly just need it for the bluetooth. Amazon


As far as how it works - it works great! I've been using it as my main machine for about a week or so now (coming from something a bit... beefier), and for every-day tasks it feels almost as snappy. Right now I've got a 720p video streaming as I type this up to you in Safari, and a Windows 8 VM in Parallels is running in the background.

Edit: whoops - i thought this was a direct message

Well, the internal adapter should be easily replacable. The wiki says it is this, for $25 shipped: http://amzn.com/B009HN63QQ

Besides that, I would install XP. Then you could use most wifi usb adapters.

Edit: Source: http://cr-48.wikispaces.com/Replacement+Parts

Also, ebay looks like $12 shipped.. even better.

Why are cable options out? Distance, or lack of path?

If distance, you can use PoE to extend Copper pretty far.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-POEEXT1GAT-Gigabit-Extender-802-3at/dp/B00ZOO32WA

router Asus AC3200

Dongle: Kootek AC 600Mbps USB Wifi Adapter Wireless 802.11ac Wifi Dongle Dual Band 2.4 GHz / 5GHz AC Adapter for PC Windows 10
System
REALTEK Wifi app


What else would help?

​

€10,89
(non garantito. devi cercare un'antenna WiFi che faccia anche da "hotspot")

Initially Amazon (US), but I cancelled and bought it from eBay after finding a local seller here in France.

Here's the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NV1IXV8/ref=pe_825000_114212990_pe_635370_88603980_n_id

... SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!

http://www.amazon.com/Mediatek-MT7630E-802-11bgn-Bluetooth-adapter/dp/B00HA5712I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416603199&sr=8-2&keywords=mediatek

Can I safely assume this means the one in my laptop is the smaller profile card?

I honestly don't know, I've just seen people complaining that their cards aren't working after updating to Yose. Maybe they have models without natively supported chipsets and this one will work fine, I haven't bothered to check.

But there's no point, this and this will get you natively supported WiFi that will never break for less money than the card listed in the OP.

My Bigfoot Killer N 1103 half mini pci-e works OK. It's based on Atheros AR9380 chip so support in Linux is great (no non-free firmware needed).

Three lengths of Cat5e that are joined with RJ45 couplers. The cable was then tested to ensure that it is not miswired.

It's no different than if I ran a single length of Cat5e from one wall plate to another and then used another length of cable to plug into the router and satellite.

Well, my computer is getting speedtest results as high as 4 or 5mbps under 2.4, and there's not much I'm able to do to improve that (I'm admittedly pretty far from the router, but there seems to be no working around that - a wifi range extender hasn't improved matters).

I'm not looking for anything crazy fast here, but at least a reasonable speed for my situation.

So, if I were to get this:

https://www.amazon.com/1200Mbps-Wireless-Adapter-FayTun-300Mbps/dp/B07987GMSV/

do you think I would achieve the desired results?

https://www.amazon.com/HIDevolution-Wireless-AC-802-11ac-Bluetooth-Replacement/dp/B07933HLRF ok I believe this is the WiFi card my laptop has.

Amazon search, PCIe, Amazon Prime for that sweet free shipping:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_review-rank?keywords=wireless+adapters&fst=p90x%3A1%2Cas%3Aoff&rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A193870011%2Cn%3A17923671011%2Cn%3A13983711%2Ck%3Awireless+adapters%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_three_browse-bin%3A6011949011%2Cp_85%3A2470955011&qid=1538695753&sort=review-rank

40 bucks, amazon's best seller:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-T6E-Wireless-Technology/dp/B016K0896K/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1538695772&sr=1-4&keywords=wireless+adapters&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_three_browse-bin%3A6011949011%2Cp_85%3A2470955011

AC1300 dual band, not the other one.

"N300" is just 2.4 ghz, don't go there.

Not sure what router you have, if this higher end card would be of benefit:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Archer-T9E-Beamforming-Technology/dp/B00TQEX7AQ/ref=zg_bs_3012291011_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VVAD1W30VR3E1GVMJ2X0

Rosewill stuff is OK in my experience:

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Wireless-802-11AC1200-Including-Low-Profile/dp/B0799J48HD/ref=zg_bs_13983711_21?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BPF41JVTDJR8NADY6FKH

I have seen this name mentioned, I think for Hackintosh builds, Fenvi?

https://www.amazon.com/Fenvi-Express-Single-chip-Dual-Band-2-Stream/dp/B07H3TCXMK/ref=zg_bs_13983711_49?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BPF41JVTDJR8NADY6FKH

So you're sure that it doesn't exist? In that case, thanks for telling me that. As for the wifi thing, would the things I linked in the post (this and this) work for my purposes? It appears that my motherboard has a dedicated "Mini-PCIE slot for wifi card" near the IO that would necessitate something like this solution (a card like the one I linked with leads to the back, where there are holes for the antennas) if I wanted antennas on the back, which I would. I've got a cheap USB one and I don't like it. Thank you for your help.

here, I found an EXCELLENT usb one that no one seems to have issues with. https://smile.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Adapter-Techkey-Wireless-Keyboard/dp/B077HRTYFK/ref=sr_1_13?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511835160&sr=1-13&keywords=bluetooth+usb

PCIe recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Wirless-Bluetooth-PCI/dp/B01E85QIFI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1511835340&sr=8-2&keywords=pcie+bluetooth

Here is the desktop version of your link

I found an unboxing video which clearly shows an m.2 expansion slot with the other IO, but I can't find a good picture of the IO shield. I found an Intel card, but it seems to come with neither antennas nor pigtails. How much does the motherboard supply? Surely the IO shield must have something the antennas attach to, right?

I don't sit particularly far from the router and was considering saving some money and getting the crappiest USB wifi adapter money can buy instead. It'll have the advantage of sitting on the front of the case.

You can use an M.2_WIFI card. I think something like this but I'm not 100% sure. I'm like... 80% sure.

This is a bit expensive, but you could use something like this half way through to get your ethernet from end to end.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Gigabit-Extender-802-3at-802-3af/dp/B00ZOO32WA

You could also stick a 2-port outdoor accesspoint in the middle.

The Broadcom BCM94360CS2 is a mini PCIe card Apple puts in their computers. You will need an adapter to be able to use it in a regular PCIe slot.

Yeah man - that's the combo I've got. I don't know if the BCM94360CD is still in production to be honest. I heard there was a BCM94360CS2 that's supposed to be the replacement - but it might take a bit of work to get running. I don't have experience with that card though, so I can't say for sure.

It was this one.

These Amazon reviews make that card out to be horrendously shitty at dropping signals and shit. What model? Google your laptop model number and see what hardware specs it has. You should probably look into getting a replacement wifi card in your laptop that is a different brand. Either that or get a wifi usb stick like you said.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediatek-MT7630E-802-11bgn-Bluetooth-adapter/dp/B00HA5712I

cpu

stock cooler

mobo

ram

dell Inspiron 660s case (supports only low profile gpu, unless you want to mod it)

psu (i wouldn't buy this piece of garbage from myself)

wifi card

I'm asking $110 for all of it

You mean that one?

If yes, it won't fit. It's mini-PCIe, meant for laptops, and what you have in the PC is "normal" PCIe x1.

You can get a much more powerful Hackintosh for the price of the mid-tier Mac mini.

-----

$105 - motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-H77N-WIFI
$220 - CPU -3.4GHz Intel Core i5-3570K
$129 - RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz
$80 - case - BitFenix Prodigy Arctic White
$75 - power supply - SilverStone Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W
$80 - hard drive - Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM

$689 - total

\Concerning the wifi/bluetooth card included with this motherboard, the wifi doesn't work with Mac OS X, but the bluetooth functionality does. If you need both wifi and bluetooth, I would suggest replacing the built-in card with the AR5BHB92 300 Mbps 802.11b/g/n wifi card for $31. This card doesn't have bluetooth, so if you want bluetooth you will also need a USB bluetooth adapter. The $13 IOGEAR GBU521 Bluetooth 4.0 Micro Adapter USB is compatible with Mountain Lion.

-----

If you still have some extra money, you might consider a graphics card. The $260 GTX 760 is compatible with Lion/Mountain Lion. A discrete graphics card probably won't help much with video editing, but it's great for gaming.

Instructions for installing Mountain Lion on a Hackintosh can be found at TonyMacX86. http://www.tonymacx86.com/61-unibeast-install-os-x-mountain-lion-any-supported-intel-based-pc.html

Well, MobilePCIe/miniPCIe is the form factor, and if I were you I'd go with anything with an Atheros chipset, as those work best under linux.

So this seems to me to be a good one, especially at that price.

Here's the one that they use and Windows drivers should exist. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009B5A0F0?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&tag=skos-20&creativeASIN=B009B5A0F0

But the only way to tell is through reviews honestly. There isn't really a good way to tell if one is good or bad just by looking at it or looking at a spec sheet.

My best advice is try to get one that is dual-band. They tend to be a little higher quality. Not guarantee though.

If that's the only device having the problem.. then it probably indicates the WiFi card itself is dying. Looks like you can get a replacement on Amazon for about $80: http://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-Networks-KillerN-1103-Notebook-Wireless/dp/B005GA1N7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405270233&sr=8-1&keywords=killer+wireless+n+1103

Another approach would be to download a bootable Linux distro (such as Ubuntu or Mint).. and boot your system to that and test WiFi to see if it drops under Linux also. Linux may use more generic drivers... so it may work more reliably.. but if it does drop (under Linux).. then that's a pretty clear indication it's a hardware problem.